Earlier, we wrote about Amazon being in talks with Twitch.tv to acquire the service. Well, the deal is done, and Twitch.tv is now owned by Amazon for a quick $970 million.
It may be surprising since just a few months ago the internet was rampant with rumors of Google being in talks with Twitch.tv over acquisition of the service and then a stark silence from both companies that led many to believe the deal was done and handled quietly. However, today Twitch’s CEO Emmett Shear confirmed in a letter to the community that Amazon has officially acquired the service and site:
Letter from the CEO
August 25, 2014Dear Twitch Community,
It’s almost unbelievable that slightly more than 3 years ago, Twitch didn’t exist. The moment we launched, we knew we had stumbled across something special. But what followed surprised us as much as anyone else, and the impact it’s had on both the community and us has been truly profound. Your talent, your passion, your dedication to gaming, your memes, your brilliance – these have made Twitch what it is today.
Every day, we strive to live up to the standard set by you, the community. We want to create the very best place to share your gaming and life online, and that mission continues to guide us. Together with you, we’ve found new ways of connecting developers and publishers with their fans. We’ve created a whole new kind of career that lets people make a living sharing their love of games. We’ve brought billions of hours of entertainment, laughter, joy and the occasional ragequit. I think we can all call that a pretty good start.
Today, I’m pleased to announce we’ve been acquired by Amazon. We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. We’re keeping most everything the same: our office, our employees, our brand, and most importantly our independence. But with Amazon’s support we’ll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch.
I personally want to thank you, each and every member of the Twitch community, for what you’ve created. Thank you for putting your faith in us. Thank you for sticking with us through growing pains and stumbles. Thank you for bringing your very best to us and sharing it with the world. Thank you, from a group of gamers who never dreamed they’d get to help shape the face of the industry that we love so much. It’s dangerous to go alone.
On behalf of myself and everyone else at Twitch, thank you for coming with us.
Emmett Shear, CEO
Speculation about what this means for Twitch and the community that has fallen in love with the wildly successful service will surely abound moving forward, but for Amazon this is definitively a huge acquisition as it positions them strongly against the Internet powerhouse that is Google. Google claims influence over more than 40% of the Internet, and with Twitch.tv added to the fold would own exclusive rights to the two largest streaming services in existence: YouTube and Twitch.tv.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see if Amazon Prime starts to influence Twitch.tv or vice versa. With the recent changes to Twitch.tv’s archiving of streams being able to watch past eSports matches on Prime might be one of the first things to become a reality after this acquisition.
As always, GameSkinny will be on top of the acquisition and what it means for gamers and streamers as events unfold. For more information on Twitch.tv and the rollercoaster of events leading up to this acquisition check out this article, and Twitch.tv’s response to criticism of their copyright policy changes.
Also, please comment below on how you feel about Amazon owning Twitch going forward. Are you an eSport fanatic? A streamer yourself? Or perhaps you only use the service occasionally. However you use or view Twitch.tv, let us hear from you!
